Born and raised in Tallinn, Estonia, Liia started drawing as soon as she could get her hands on a pencil, and never stopped. Since then, life has taken her to twenty-two countries on three different continents, with more travels ahead. After arriving in New York City, she completed her BFA degree in Communications Design at Pratt Institute in 2012. Liia has since been illustrating and designing for clients such as Saatchi & Saatchi, Dylan's Candy Bar and Phillips Auctions.

Changing humanity's perception of whales over the past hundred years from being a source of material goods to an intelligent, rare species that should be protected has been a long process. Today, the only contact many people have with whales is at amusement parks as entertainment. But whales in captivity suffer from being separated from their families, which contributes to shortened average life spans, from seventy years to just thirteen years.

With my project, I want to educate the younger generation about whale conservation. My book is aimed at children of all ages and explores ways that we can help to preserve these amazing animals. With fun, humorous illustrations, I hope Adopt a Whale starts a conversation about helping the whales, keeping them out of captivity and safe in their natural habitat.